6 Tips To Boost Your Hair Growth
Understanding your hair’s phase can provide helpful insights about its health and help you identify effective ways to boost growth. Hair growth, after all, is cyclical and is divided into three different stages: Anagen (growth), Catagen (transition), and Telogen (rest).
The difference between Anagen and Telogen is that in the Anagen phase, hair growth and elongation occur. Meanwhile, Telogen is the resting phase of the hair cycle whereby hair follicles become dormant and can eventually shed. Catagen is a short transitional phase that marks the end of active hair growth.
Knowing which phase your hair is in can help solve your hair problems and promote healthy growth. Hair growth can also be negatively affected by factors such as age, genetics, medications, adverse environmental exposure, stress, and poor diet. But you can take steps to boost hair growth and prevent breakage.
The following are some tips to consider:
1. Eat Healthily
Deficiencies in specific food nutrients can adversely affect hair health. Your hair can go into a resting state which may lead to thinning, shedding, and excessive hair loss. Therefore, eating a well-balanced diet is essential for promoting healthy and growing hair.
Protein, particularly, is good for your hair as it supports keratin, which is the building block of hair. Protein-rich foods include eggs, seafood, plant-based protein, chicken breast, milk, chicken, and Greek yogurt.
Additionally, you’d want to boost your nutrient profile by increasing the intake of vitamins, minerals, whole grains, and fatty acids. These foods contain nutrients such as zinc, iron, omega-3, omega-6, and vitamins C, D, and E. These nutrients not only provide the energy necessary for hair growth but also support cell division and proliferation. Hence, they play a pivotal role in the life cycle of hair follicles.
2. Indulge In Scalp Massage
Researchers believe that a scalp massage can help dilate your blood vessels, increasing blood flow to the scalp and thus promoting quicker hair growth. This stimulation can also stretch hair follicle cells causing them to produce fuller and thicker hair that is less prone to breakage. Therefore, it’s beneficial if you’re dealing with hair loss or thinning hair.
A scalp massage also feels relaxing and can reduce stress ensuring healthy hair growth. Keep in mind that elevated stress levels can cause hair loss. The affected strands will weaken and may fall out when washing or combing your hair.
That’s why it’s important to massage your scalp occasionally. You can do it yourself at home by hand or using a scalp massaging device that mimics the pressure of your fingertips. Alternatively, you can get a professional scalp massage. It has an element of relaxation that’s hard to find in self-massage.
3. Limit The Use Of Hot Styling Tools
Overusing curling irons, hair dryers, straighteners, and other hot styling tools can weaken your hair over time and cause breakage. This slows down the growth progress. So, you may want to limit how often you use these tools. Try letting your hair dry by itself if you can. And if you have to do heat styling, it’s best to use the lowest heat setting.
Also, you can work on your hair first to reduce the time you’ll use the hot tools. For instance, you can use a towel to dry your hair before blow drying. Alternatively, consider applying heat-protectant products before heat styling. Heat treatments create a protective barrier that helps reduce moisture loss during heating, preventing hair breakage.
4. Use Essential Oils
Essential oils may help nourish the hair shaft, stimulating new hair growth. Also, they can dilate blood vessels and increase blood flow, promoting hair growth. Some essential oils include lavender, peppermint, rosemary, cedarwood, clary sage, and lemongrass. Coconut oil, though not technically an essential oil, is great as a carrier oil for other essential oils.
5. Trim Your Hair
Hair trimming removes split ends that can travel up your strands and break your hair, delaying growth. If you notice changes in the texture of your hair or encounter tangles at the ends of your strands, it may be time for a trim. Depending on your hair condition and daily routine, you may need a trim every six to eight weeks. If you take good care of your hair daily, you’ll need to trim split ends less often. Your hair will grow longer naturally as a result.
6. Go Easy On Dyeing Your Hair
Hair dyes contain chemicals that can stress your hair. Also, it can make the hair dry and brittle, causing breakage and slow growth. Research shows that permanent dyes, in particular, can destroy the natural fatty acids that make up the hair. They can be more damaging than non-permanent dyes. Therefore, it’s best to avoid such harsh treatments or wait longer before reapplying to give your strands time to heal.
Conclusion
Efficient hair care strategies encourage quicker hair growth. Therefore, if you’re worried your hair isn’t growing healthily or fast enough, the above are ways to create optimal conditions for hair growth. Most importantly, ensure you have a proper hair care routine to stimulate healthier and faster growth.
